Sep 19th

More Cybersecurity Terms You Should Know

Following up on the previous post on KEY CYBERSECURITY TERMS, below you will find even more cybersecurity terms that you should know.

Domain – A series of computers and associated peripherals (routers, printers, scanners), that are all connected as one entity.

Encryption – Coding used to protect your information from hackers. Think of it like the code cipher used to send a top-secret coded spy message.

Exploit – A means of attack on a computer system, either a series of commands, malicious software, or piece of infected data. Note that in this context, “exploit” is a noun, not a verb, as in “The hacker used a malware exploit to gain access to the credit card’s server.”

Firewall – Any technology, be it software or hardware, used to keep intruders out.

Hacker, Black Hat – Any hacker who attempts to gain unauthorized access to a system with the intent to cause mischief, damage, or theft. They can be motivated by greed, a political agenda, or simply boredom.

Hacker, White Hat – A hacker who is invited to test out computer systems and servers, looking for vulnerabilities, for the purposes of informing the host of where security needs to be buffed up. They are benign hackers, personifying the old axiom “It takes a thief to catch a thief”. Sometimes called “ethical hackers”.

Malware – A portmanteau of “malicious” and “software”, describing a wide variety of bad software used to infect and/or damage a system. Ransomware, worms, viruses, and trojans are all considered malware. It most often delivered via spam emails.

CYBERSECURITY SAFETY TIPS

Man in the Middle Attack – An attack on the “middleman”, in this case, defined as the Wi-Fi system that connects users to the Internet. Hackers who commit Man in the Middle Attacks can break the Wi-Fi’s encryption and use this as a means of stealing your personal data because they’re now in the system.

Spoofing – Sadly, this has nothing to do with Weird Al Yankovic doing a parody version of a popular song. Rather, it’s when a hacker changes the IP address of an email so that it seems to come from a trusted source.

Trojan Horse – Yet another form of malware, this one a misleading computer program that looks innocent, but in fact allows the hacker into your system via a back door, allowing them to control your computer.

Virus – Malware which changes, corrupts, or destroys information, and is then passed on to other systems, usually by otherwise benign means (e.g. sending an email). In some cases, a virus can actually cause physical damage.

VPN – An acronym standing for Virtual Private Network, a VPN is a method of connecting a series of computers and devices in a private encrypted network, with each user’s IP address being replaced by the VPN’s IP address. Users get Internet anonymity, making it difficult for hackers to attack.

Worm – Malware that can reproduce itself for the purposes of spreading itself to other computers in the network. Particularly nasty, worms can either be simply a means of slowing down a system by eating up resources, or by committing exploits such as installing back doors or stealing data.

Next Steps For You

Now that you’ve been brought up to speed with this list of popular terms, the next step is to sharpen your cybersecurity skills, either for upskilling or with the idea of starting a new career. Babbage Simmel’s Comprehensive NIST Cybersecurity Framework (NCSF) Training & CompTIA CySA+ Cybersecurity Analyst Certification Cybersecurity training options will equip you with the skills needed to become an expert in this rapidly growing field. You will learn comprehensive approaches to protecting your infrastructure, including securing data and information, running risk analysis and mitigation, architecting cloud-based security, achieving compliance and much much more.

Questions about Cybersecurity?  Get in touch!

Sep 18th

Cybersecurity Safety Tips

Keep a Clean Machine

• Keep security software up to date: Having the latest security software, web browser and operating system is the best defense against viruses, malware and other online threats.
• Automate software updates: Many software programs will automatically connect and update to defend against known risks. Turn on automatic updates if that’s an available option.
• Protect all devices that connect to the Internet: Along with computers, smartphones, gaming systems and other web-enabled devices also need protection from viruses and malware.
• Plug & scan:USBs and other external devices can be infected by viruses and malware. Use your security software to scan them.

Protect Your Personal Information

• Lockdown your login: Fortify your online accounts by enabling the strongest authentication tools available, such as biometrics, security keys or a unique one-time code through an app on your mobile device. Your usernames and passwords are not enough to protect key accounts like email, banking and social media.
• Make your password a sentence: A strong password is a sentence that is at least 12 characters long. Focus on positive sentences or phrases that you like to think about and are easy to remember (for example, “I love country music.”). On many sites, you can even use spaces!
• Unique account, unique password: Having separate passwords for every account helps to thwart cybercriminals. At a minimum, separate your work and personal accounts and make sure that your critical accounts have the strongest passwords.
• Write it down and keep it safe: Everyone can forget a password. Keep a list that’s stored in a safe, secure place away from your computer. You can alternatively use a service like a password manager to keep track of your passwords.

Connect With Care

• When in doubt, throw it out: Links in emails, social media posts and online advertising are often how cybercriminals try to steal your personal information. Even if you know the source, if something looks suspicious, delete it.
• Get savvy about Wi-Fi hotspots: Limit the type of business you conduct and adjust the security settings on your device to limit who can access your machine.
• Protect your $$$: When banking and shopping, check to be sure the site is security enabled. Look for web addresses with “https://” or “shttp://,” which means the site takes extra measures to help secure your information. “Http://” is not secure.

KEY CYBERSECURITY TERMS

  Be Web Wise

• Stay current. Keep pace with new ways to stay safe online: Check trusted websites for the latest information, and share with friends, family, and colleagues and encourage them to be web wise.
• Think before you act: Be wary of communications that implore you to act immediately, offer something that sounds too good to be true or ask for personal information.
• Back it up: Protect your valuable work, music, photos and other digital information by making an electronic copy and storing it safely.

  Be a Good Online Citizen

• Safer for me, more secure for all: What you do online has the potential to affect everyone – at home, at work and around the world. Practicing good online habits benefits the global digital community.
• Post only about others as you have them post about you. The Golden Rule applies online as well.
• Help the authorities fight cybercrime: Report stolen finances or identities and other cybercrime to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (www.ic3.gov) and to your local law enforcement or state attorney general as appropriate.

  Own Your Online Presence

• Personal information is like money. Value it. Protect it.: Information about you, such as your purchase history or location, has value – just like money. Be thoughtful about who gets that information and how it’s collected through apps and websites.
• Be aware of what’s being shared: Set the privacy and security settings on web services and devices to your comfort level for information sharing. It’s OK to limit how and with whom you share information.
• Share with care: Think before posting about yourself and others online. Consider what a post reveals, who might see it and how it could be perceived now and in the future.

Next Steps For You

Now that you’ve been brought up to speed with this list cybersecurity tips, the next step is to sharpen your cybersecurity skills, either for upskilling or with the idea of starting a new career. Babbage Simmel’s Comprehensive NIST Cybersecurity Framework (NCSF) Training & CompTIA CySA+ Cybersecurity Analyst Certification Cybersecurity training options will equip you with the skills needed to become an expert in this rapidly growing field. You will learn comprehensive approaches to protecting your infrastructure, including securing data and information, running risk analysis and mitigation, architecting cloud-based security, achieving compliance and much much more.

Questions about Cybersecurity?  Get in touch!

Sep 17th

Key Cybersecurity Terms

Botnet – A botnet (robot and network) is a network of devices infected by an attacker and then used together to perform tasks such as DDoS attacks (see below), mining Bitcoin, and spreading spam emails. Almost any device connected to the internet, including home routers, can be infected and pulled into a botnet without its owner ever noticing.

Data breach – A data breach happens when a company’s network is attacked and valuable data is stolen – usually personal information, log-in credentials, credit card details, and Social Security numbers. The stolen data can then be abused in myriad ways: held for ransom (see Ransomware below), sold on the dark net, and used to make purchases. Often hackers try to crack email passwords, then test those log-in details on other popular sites, since many people use the same credentials for multiple accounts.

DDoS attack – Attackers use DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks to render a network unavailable. They do this by overwhelming the targeted machine with massive requests from multiple devices. The target suffers a severely clogged bandwidth, and legitimate connections become impossible. These attacks are typically carried out by botnets (see above).

DNS attack – A “domain name server” attack is a type of DDoS attack that uses specific kinds of query protocols and available hardware to overwhelm a system with incoming queries. A hacker could manipulate publicly accessible domain names and flood the target with large volumes of data packets or requests.

DNS hijacking involves redirecting users to malicious sites through the use of a rogue DNS server. For instance, you’d expect “google.com” to take you to Google’s IP address. Using a DNS hijack, however, cybercriminals can translate “google.com” to their own IP address, redirecting you to a malicious site where they can collect your information or have you download malware. In an attempt to get you to click on a link, DNS hijacks can also deliver altered search results.

Mobile banking Trojans – It looks like your trusted banking app, but that’s just an overlay. Underneath, a mobile banking Trojan tricks you into entering financial credentials and personal information. It can also gain administrative rights to intercept SMS messages, making it possible to record two-factor authentication codes as well.

Open Wi-Fi – Encrypted connections protect you. Open Wi-Fi networks are unencrypted, which is why they’re risky. Anyone can create a fake hotspot and trick your device into joining it automatically.

When you use open Wi-Fi without the protection of a VPN (see tips below), anyone on that network can see the sites you visit, your login passwords, your financial and personal data, and more. Hackers often name their phony Wi-Fi networks after popular spots (like “Starbucks”), knowing that most devices automatically rejoin hotspots they’ve used in the past. Hackers can even redirect your unencrypted traffic, sending you to malicious sites.

Phishing – Used by cybercriminals to trick you into giving up sensitive information, phishing scams pose as emails from an organization or person you know. There is usually a link or attachment included, which it urges you to click so that you’ll unwittingly download malware to your system. Sometimes phishing scams look indistinguishable from the sites they’re imitating, and they attempt to trick you into entering your password.

Ransomware – Ransomware is malware that takes hold of your system and encrypts it, sometimes attacking individual files. Attempting to access the encrypted files triggers the ransom note, which claims you are locked out until you make a payment. The messages sometimes pretend to be from an official government agency accusing you of committing a cybercrime, which scares many into paying the ransom. Payment is often demanded in Bitcoin.

Spyware – Spyware is malware used by hackers to spy on you, so they can access personal information, bank account details, online activity, and anything else they may find valuable. On mobile devices, spyware can log your whereabouts, read your text messages, redirect calls, and much more.

Next Steps For You

Now that you’ve been brought up to speed with this list of popular terms, the next step is to sharpen your cybersecurity skills, either for upskilling or with the idea of starting a new career. Babbage Simmel’s Comprehensive NIST Cybersecurity Framework (NCSF) Training & CompTIA CySA+ Cybersecurity Analyst Certification Cybersecurity training options will equip you with the skills needed to become an expert in this rapidly growing field. You will learn comprehensive approaches to protecting your infrastructure, including securing data and information, running risk analysis and mitigation, architecting cloud-based security, achieving compliance and much much more.

Questions about Cybersecurity?  Get in touch!

Sep 6th

Becoming Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate

Why Certifications?

Earn a technical certification that shows you are keeping pace with today’s technical roles and requirements. Skill up, prove your expertise to employers and peers and get the recognition and opportunities you’ve earned.

What Does an Azure Administrator Do?

Azure Administrators implement, monitor, and maintain Microsoft Azure solutions, including major services related to compute, storage, network, and security.

Skills Measured on the Exam

• Manage Azure subscriptions and resources (15-20%)
• Implement and manage storage (15-20%)
• Deploy and manage virtual machines (VMs) (15-20%)
• Configure and manage virtual networks (30-35%)
• Manage identities (15-20%)

Optional prerequisite

Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals

Prove that you understand cloud concepts, core Azure Services, Azure pricing and support, and the fundamentals of cloud security, privacy, compliance and trust.

How to Prepare for Certification

AZ-103: Microsoft Azure Administrator training at Babbage Simmel.

Additional Available Resources

There are a lot of resources to help you and the student learn about Azure. We recommend you bookmark these pages.

• Azure forums. The Azure forums are very active. You can search the threads for a specific area of interest. You can also browse categories like Azure Storage, Pricing and Billing, Azure Virtual Machines, and Azure Migrate.
• Mindhub certification practice tests. Take a Microsoft Official Practice Test for exam AZ-100 or exam AZ-101.
• Channel 9. Channel 9 provides a wealth of informational videos, shows, and events.
• Azure Tuesdays with Corey. Corey Sanders answers your questions about Microsoft Azure – Virtual Machines, Web Sites, Mobile Services, Dev/Test etc.
• Azure Fridays. Join Scott Hanselman as he engages one-on-one with the engineers who build the services that power Microsoft Azure, as they demo capabilities, answer Scott’s questions, and share their insights.
• Microsoft Azure Blog. Keep current on what’s happening in Azure, including what’s now in preview, generally available, news & updates, and more.
• Azure Documentation. Stay informed on the latest products, tools, and features. Get information on pricing, partners, support, and solutions.

AZ-103: Microsoft Azure Administrator training at Babbage Simmel.

Aug 30th

What is Power Platform?

What is the Power Platform

The Microsoft Power Platform is a business application platform that helps support and extends Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and Azure, as well as third-party services and applications. The Power Platform offers low-code automation, actionable data-driven applications, and customizable business logic that can improve business processes, systems, and workflows.

The Power Platform is made up of three applications designed to help create dynamic visualizations from data hosted on internal and external sources, build custom apps, and automate workflows.

• Microsoft PowerApps: PowerApps is an application with services, connectors, and a data platform that provides a rapid development environment for building custom apps for business needs. Apps built using PowerApps:
  • Enable users to build feature-rich, custom business apps with no or minimal code.
  • Provide rich business logic and workflow capabilities to transform manual business processes to digital, automated processes.
  • Have a responsive design allowing them to run seamlessly in a browser or on mobile devices.
• Microsoft Flow: Microsoft Flow lets you create automated workflows between applications and services to synchronize files, get notifications, and collect data. Microsoft Flow can:
  • Automate and model business processes across applications and services, from simple automations to advanced scenarios.
  • Trigger actions, grant approvals, and get notifications from a computer or mobile device.
• Microsoft Power BI: Power BI (Business Intelligence) is a business analytics service that delivers insights to enable fast, informed decisions. It scales across an organization with built-in governance and security. Power BI enables users to:
  • Transform data into stunning visuals that can be shared on any device.
  • Visually explore and analyze data—on-premises and in the cloud—all in one view.
  • Collaboratively create and share customized dashboards and interactive reports.

Get the Savvy Leader’s Guide to Real-Time Insights -> READ THE REPORT

Why does the Power Platform Matter?

Most organizations have customized needs that require them to stitch together solutions from multiple products and tools. However, those components often don’t play well together, so organizations need to invest a lot of time and money into custom development to ensure the applications are providing the desired outcome.

The Microsoft Power Platform was engineered to better equip organizations to create unified, enterprise-grade solutions that seamlessly drive intelligent business decisions. Power Platform provides a little or no-code solution that empowers business users to tailor Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365 to specific business needs with powerful applications that span productivity and business data.

For example, users can customize and extend SharePoint Online, use PowerApps with Microsoft Teams, and build targeted business application on Dynamics 365.

In this lesson, we’ll look deeper into real-life business scenarios where the Power Platform and Dynamics 365 are leveraged together.

Join us for training to learn more about Power Platform

MB-200: Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement Core (Power Platform)

Aug 29th

Digitally Transform Your Business with Dynamics 365

With Dynamics 365, Microsoft has removed the complexity of disparate CRM and ERP systems by creating modern, modular business applications that work together on a single platform, giving organizations the flexibility to adopt technology when they need it to improve business outcomes.

Use data and intelligence to power digital transformation

Engage customers and build relationships
Fundamentally reimagine how you engage with customers—create personalized marketing, sales, and service experiences using data and intelligence to improve every interaction.

Optimize operations
Improve service, drive efficiency, and reduce costs with intelligence and prescriptive guidance infused throughout your business processes.

Empower employees
Attract, hire, and engage the best talent and unleash them to do their best work with data and insights surfaced right where they work.

Transform products and services
Use data as a strategic asset—identify new market opportunities, produce innovative products, and create exceptional customer experiences with a comprehensive view of your customers and operations.

Get the Savvy Leader’s Guide to Real-Time Insights -> READ THE REPORT

Aug 26th

Get Started with Azure Fundamentals

Ready to learn the basics of cloud services? Start with Microsoft Azure Fundamentals.

This course will provide foundational level knowledge of cloud services and how those services are provided with Microsoft Azure. The course can be taken as an optional first step and learning about cloud services and Microsoft Azure. The course will cover general cloud computing concepts as well as general cloud computing models and services such as Public, Private and Hybrid cloud and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service(PaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).

It will also cover some core Azure services and solutions, such as compute, networking, storage and others, and solutions such as Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and data analytics as well as key Azure pillar services concerning security, privacy, compliance, and trust. It will finally cover pricing and support services that are available with Microsoft Azure.

There are no labs, but you are encouraged to sign up for a free Microsoft Azure account on azure.microsoft.com/free and to identify and try out some of the areas as they’re
discussed during the course.

What will you learn?

The following are the course learning objectives:

• Understand general cloud computing concepts
• Understand core services available with Microsoft Azure
• Understand security, privacy, compliance and trust with Microsoft Azure
• Understand pricing and support models available with Microsoft

There are no pre-requisites for taking this course. Technical IT experience is not required however some general IT knowledge or experience would be beneficial.

How can you learn?

• Instructor-led training
• Self-paced training

Aug 22nd

Software as a Service (SaaS)

What is SaaS?
Most cloud computing services fall into four broad categories: infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), serverless, and software as a service (SaaS). These are sometimes called the cloud computing “stack” because they build on top of one another. Knowing what they are and how they’re different makes it easier to accomplish your business goals.

Software as a service (SaaS) allows users to connect to and use cloud-based apps over the Internet. Common examples are email, calendaring, and office tools (such as Microsoft Office 365).

SaaS provides a complete software solution that you purchase on a pay-as-you-go basis from a cloud service provider. You rent the use of an app for your organization, and your users connect to it over the Internet, usually with a web browser. All of the underlying infrastructure, middleware, app software, and app data are located in the service provider’s data center. The service provider manages the hardware and software, and with the appropriate service agreement, will ensure the availability and the security of the app and your data as well. SaaS allows your organization to get quickly up and running with an app at minimal upfront cost.

Common SaaS scenarios
If you’ve used a web-based email service such as Outlook, Hotmail, or Yahoo! Mail, then you’ve already used a form of SaaS. With these services, you log into your account over the Internet, often from a web browser. The email software is located on the service provider’s network, and your messages are stored there as well. You can access your email and stored messages from a web browser on any computer or Internet-connected device.

The previous examples are free services for personal use. For organizational use, you can rent productivity apps, such as email, collaboration, and calendaring; and sophisticated business applications such as customer relationship management (CRM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), and document management. You pay for the use of these apps by subscription or according to the level of use.

COMMON CLOUD COMPUTING TERMS

Advantages of SaaS
Gain access to sophisticated applications – To provide SaaS apps to users, you don’t need to purchase, install, update, or maintain any hardware, middleware, or software. SaaS makes even sophisticated enterprise applications, such as ERP and CRM, affordable for organizations that lack the resources to buy, deploy, and manage the required infrastructure and software themselves.

Pay only for what you use – You also save money because the SaaS service automatically scales up and down according to the level of usage.

Use free client software – Users can run most SaaS apps directly from their web browser without needing to download and install any software, although some apps require plugins. This means that you don’t need to purchase and install special software for your users.

Mobilize your workforce easily – SaaS makes it easy to “mobilize” your workforce because users can access SaaS apps and data from any Internet-connected computer or mobile device. You don’t need to worry about developing apps to run on different types of computers and devices because the service provider has already done so. In addition, you don’t need to bring special expertise onboard to manage the security issues inherent in mobile computing. A carefully chosen service provider will ensure the security of your data, regardless of the type of device consuming it.

Access app data from anywhere – With data stored in the cloud, users can access their information from any Internet-connected computer or mobile device. And when app data is stored in the cloud, no data is lost if a user’s computer or device fails.

Aug 21st

Serverless Computing

The promise of serverless computing
What if you could spend all your time building and deploying great apps, and none of your time managing servers? Serverless computing lets you do just that because the infrastructure you need to run and scale your apps is managed for you. Focus your efforts on your business. Redirect resources from infrastructure management into innovating and bringing apps to market faster.

What is serverless computing?
Serverless computing is the abstraction of servers, infrastructure, and operating systems. When you build serverless apps you don’t need to provision and manage any servers, so you can take your mind off infrastructure concerns. Serverless computing is driven by the reaction to events and triggers happening in near-real-time—in the cloud. As a fully managed service, server management and capacity planning are invisible to the developer and billing is based just on resources consumed or the actual time your code is running.

COMMON CLOUD COMPUTING TERMS

Why build serverless applications?

Benefit from fully managed services
Spare your teams the burden of managing servers. By utilizing fully managed services, you focus on your business logic and avoid administrative tasks. With serverless architecture, you simply deploy your code, and it runs with high availability.

Scale flexibility
Serverless compute scales from nothing to handle tens of thousands of concurrent functions almost instantly (within seconds), to match any workload, and without requiring scale configuration—it reacts to events and triggers in near-real-time.

Only pay for resources you use
With serverless architecture, you only pay for the time your code is running. Serverless computing is event-driven, and resources are allocated as soon as they’re triggered by an event. You’re only charged for the time and resources it takes to execute your code—through sub-second billing.

Examples of serverless applications
Web application architecture
Azure Functions can power a single-page app. The app calls functions using the WebHook URL, saves user data, and decides what data to display. Or, do simple customizations, such as changing ad targeting by calling a function and passing it user profile information.

IoT back end
For example, Internet of Things (IoT) devices send messages to Stream Analytics, which then calls an Azure function to transform the message. This function processes the data and creates a new update in Azure Cosmos DB.

SaaS integration
Functions supports triggers based on activity in a Software as a service (SaaS)-based application. For example, save a file in OneDrive, which triggers a function that uses the Microsoft Graph API to modify the spreadsheet, and creates additional charts and calculated data.

Mobile back end
A mobile back end can be a set of HTTP APIs that are called from a mobile client using the WebHook URL. For example, a mobile application can capture an image, and then call an Azure function to get an access token for uploading to blob storage. A second function is triggered by the blob upload and resizes the image to be mobile-friendly.

Aug 20th

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

What is PaaS?
Most cloud computing services fall into four broad categories: infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), serverless, and software as a service (SaaS). These are sometimes called the cloud computing “stack” because they build on top of one another. Knowing what they are and how they’re different makes it easier to accomplish your business goals.

Platform as a service (PaaS) is a complete development and deployment environment in the cloud, with resources that enable you to deliver everything from simple cloud-based apps to sophisticated, cloud-enabled enterprise applications. You purchase the resources you need from a cloud service provider on a pay-as-you-go basis and access them over a secure Internet connection.

Like IaaS, PaaS includes infrastructure—servers, storage, and networking—but also middleware, development tools, business intelligence (BI) services, database management systems, and more. PaaS is designed to support the complete web application lifecycle: building, testing, deploying, managing, and updating.

PaaS allows you to avoid the expense and complexity of buying and managing software licenses, the underlying application infrastructure and middleware, container orchestrators such as Kubernetes, or the development tools and other resources. You manage the applications and services you develop, and the cloud service provider typically manages everything else.

Common PaaS scenarios
Organizations typically use PaaS for these scenarios:

Development framework – PaaS provides a framework that developers can build upon to develop or customize cloud-based applications. Similar to the way you create an Excel macro, PaaS lets developers create applications using built-in software components. Cloud features such as scalability, high-availability, and multi-tenant capability are included, reducing the amount of coding that developers must do.

Analytics or business intelligence – Tools provided as a service with PaaS allow organizations to analyze and mine their data, finding insights and patterns and predicting outcomes to improve forecasting, product design decisions, investment returns, and other business decisions.

Additional services – PaaS providers may offer other services that enhance applications, such as workflow, directory, security, and scheduling.

COMMON CLOUD COMPUTING TERMS

Advantages of PaaS
By delivering infrastructure as a service, PaaS offers the same advantages as IaaS. But its additional features—middleware, development tools, and other business tools—give you more advantages:

Cut coding time – PaaS development tools can cut the time it takes to code new apps with pre-coded application components built into the platform, such as workflow, directory services, security features, search, and so on.

Add development capabilities without adding staff – Platform as a Service components can give your development team new capabilities without your needing to add staff having the required skills.

Develop for multiple platforms—including mobile—more easily – Some service providers give you development options for multiple platforms, such as computers, mobile devices, and browsers making cross-platform apps quicker and easier to develop.

Use sophisticated tools affordably – A pay-as-you-go model makes it possible for individuals or organizations to use sophisticated development software and business intelligence and analytics tools that they could not afford to purchase outright.

Support geographically distributed development teams – Because the development environment is accessed over the Internet, development teams can work together on projects even when team members are in remote locations.

Efficiently manage the application lifecycle – PaaS provides all of the capabilities that you need to support the complete web application lifecycle: building, testing, deploying, managing, and updating within the same integrated environment.