Month: April 2021

Ruckus CommScope

VPLS is Now A CMAS Partner for Ruckus CommScope

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VPLS is Now A CMAS Partner for Ruckus CommScope

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VPLS is excited to announce that we are now authorized to participate in Ruckus’s California Multiple Award Schedules Partner Program. Ruckus’s CMAS Master Service Agreement 3-15-70-3218A allows public entities to buy Ruckus’s enterprise wireless and network solutions from VPLS via a pre-negotiated cooperative contract.  

“Our team is honored to be once again approved by CMAS as a select reseller partner for Ruckus in the state of California. VPLS has been a proud partner of Ruckus for many years, and this designation allows us to continue offering state, local, and educational organizations in California with the excellent service and solutions they need to achieve their IT objectives.”

John Minnix, President and COO at VPLS

As a Ruckus partner for over nine years, VPLS addresses the various IT needs of government agencies and school districts across California. In addition to network and wireless solutions, VPLS also offers other cloud-to-edge technologies, such as storage infrastructure, hosting, cloud, and security. In addition to the CMAS designation, VPLS is a NASPO-approved vendor for CISCO, HPE, Aruba Wireless, Extreme Networks, Cradlepoint, and other industry-leading technology partners. 

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As a worldwide leader in internet infrastructure and computing, VPLS partners with businesses to solve their most complex technology challenges. Have a question about the article? Contact our team at [email protected].
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What is Vendor Lock-in

What is Vendor Lock-in and How to Avoid it

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What is Vendor Lock-in and How to Avoid it

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In a world of increasing data consumption, the ability to freely switch between storage vendors becomes essential to every business operation. But switching vendors should be easy, right? If you’re a purchaser of IT solutions, it can quickly become overwhelming to choose a new vendor. And although you know and understand the potential pitfalls of vendor lock-in, sometimes the outcome is inevitable.

A Brief History of Data Storage

In the past when Unix mid-range systems dominated enterprise data centers and computer rooms, computer manufacturers controlled a significant portion of the hardware and software stack, from the proprietary CPU to the operating system to the application environment and all the way to the staff needed for support.

For example, moving from DEC (Digital Equipment Corp) to Sun Microsystems in the server room was a significant endeavor that required extensive planning and resources. However, once intel-based servers emerged, the game changed, and contemporary server manufactures rarely have the clout to monopolize a company’s server room any longer.

Today, it’s common to see enterprises use multiple manufacturers at the same time as servers become more and more commoditized. 

Why is this Important?

Because the winner here is the customer. More choices and low barriers to switching mean vendors have to earn every dollar they make from you.

Lately, we’re seeing a similar evolution away from vendor lock-in and a move toward low barriers to switching happening in the cloud Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) market. In the early days of managed hosting and dedicated servers, you could lease a physical server with an operating system running on it, which is similar to what you can do today.

However, because server virtualization was not widely available yet, each physical server supported a single OS instance and backup/restores had to contend with OS drivers tied to the hardware of that machine. Moving an OS instance from one machine to another was possible but sometimes very hard, making switching costs fairly high. The rise of virtualization addressed this issue in the enterprise data center as companies learned to decouple server instances from the hardware on which they were running. 

Navigating the Public Cloud

Recently, public clouds then came along and the VM displaced the physical server as the primary unit of computer consumption.

But with the greater usage of public clouds, a new vendor lock-in has emerged: the cloud service lock-in.

Public cloud providers make it very easy to migrate your infrastructure to their cloud, but they don’t really tell you how to get your resources out of it. All the while managing the cost of cloud consumption has become a full-time role in and of itself, and companies often feel like they don’t have many options.

Fortunately, like the commoditization of computer hardware before it, the evolution of the cloud is also moving in the direction of more customer choices and lower switching costs.

One technology that is fueling this evolution is the OS-level virtual container, which displaced the VM as the primary unit of computer resource consumption and organization.

Coupled with a hybrid cloud posture, the containerization of workloads can bring an unprecedented level of control to customers for how resources are deployed across a diverse range of infrastructure options while giving users the freedom to move resources between public cloud, private cloud, bare-metal, and on-prem environments with near-zero switching costs.

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VPLS is named to the CRN MSP 500 Elite 150 list

VPLS Named to 2021 Managed Service Provider 500 List by CRN

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VPLS Named to 2021 Managed Service Provider 500 List by CRN

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Los Angeles, CA – VPLS is excited to announce that CRN ®, a brand of The Channel Company, has named VPLS to its 2021 Managed Service Provider (MSP) 500 list in the Elite 150 category. The list, released annually, recognizes the leading North American solution providers that have demonstrated innovative and forward-thinking approaches to managed services. These services help end users improve operational efficiencies and navigate the ongoing complexities of IT solutions, while maximizing their return on IT investments.

VPLS was selected for the MSP Elite 150 list because the company demonstrates the gold standard of cloud-to-edge services with off-premises professional services that include network and security optimization, all while bringing its services back to the data center with expert migration services, managed colocation, and more. The wide range of services offered by VPLS, paired with its professionalism and industry expertise, has positioned the company as one of the nation’s best MSPs.

“We are thrilled to be once again recognized on the CRN Elite 150 list,” states John Minnix, President and COO of VPLS. “VPLS continues to support its customers with best-in-class services as they grow their businesses alongside our global datacenter and MSP network. We look forward to helping even more businesses transform their IT as we move further into 2021.”

John Minnix, President and COO of VPLS

“Effective MSPs enable companies to focus on their core objectives while improving the quality and reliability of their cloud computing capabilities,” said Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company. “The solution providers on CRN’s 2021 MSP 500 list deserve recognition for their innovative and forward-thinking approaches to managed services, and the ability to optimize operational efficiencies and systems to maximize return on investments.”

With cutting-edge approaches to delivering managed services, MSPs have become an integral part of the success of businesses worldwide. They help empower organizations to leverage complex technologies, keeping a strict focus on their core business without straining their budgets. CRN’s 2021 MSP 500 list identifies the market’s key managed services players who are setting themselves apart with best-of-breed solutions that provide the business outcomes customers need.

The MSP 500 list is featured in the February 2021 issue of CRN and online at www.CRN.com/msp500.

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As a worldwide leader in internet infrastructure and computing, VPLS partners with businesses to solve their most complex technology challenges. Have a question about the article? Contact our team at [email protected].
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FBI CISA

The FBI and CISA Issue Joint Security Advisory on Fortinet FortiGate Vulnerabilities

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The FBI and CISA Issue Joint Security Advisory on Fortinet FortiGate Vulnerabilities

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Advisory Summary

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have released a joint cybersecurity advisory to warn the public that threat actors are actively exploiting a suite of known Fortinet FortiGate firewall vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities allow an attacker to steal VPN user credentials and gain initial access to the protected network environment, which positions them to be able to conduct further attacks.

Although two of the three vulnerabilities mentioned in the advisory have been known to the public since 2019, with the third being made public in 2020, it is clear by the issuing of this alert now in 2021 that there are still many firewalls in the wild that have not been updated and are still vulnerable.

Vulnerabilities

Vulnerability 1

CVE

 CVE-2018-13379

CVSS Score

9.8/10 – Critical

Fortinet PSIRT

FG-IR-18-384

VPLS Summary

An attacker can steal SSL VPN user credentials on FortiGates with SSL VPN enabled, allowing them to gain access to the protected network environment

Vulnerability 2

CVE

CVE-2019-5591

CVSS Score

7.5/10 – High

Fortinet PSIRT

FG-IR-19-037

VPLS Summary

An attacker with local network access can perform a MITM attack to intercept FortiGate LDAP connections and obtain sensitive user authentication information.

Vulnerability 3

CVE

CVE-2020-12812

CVSS Score

9.8/10 – Critical

Fortinet PSIRT

FG-IR-19-283

VPLS Summary

An attacker can bypass 2FA requirements for VPN users by adjusting the case used when entering the username.

VPLS's Recommendation

These three vulnerabilities each have their own conditions required for your FortiGate to be vulnerable, as well as specific mitigation instructions, which are described in detail in the provided Fortinet PSIRT links. To summarize, for Vulnerability 1, the mitigation step is as simple as upgrading the firmware version. Vulnerability 2 and 3, however, require specific configuration changes to mitigate.

Please reach out to us if you would like more information on this advisory. We are happy to provide a free consultation to evaluate if any of the three vulnerabilities apply to your environment and discuss with you what mitigation steps are required.

Additional Resources

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As a worldwide leader in internet infrastructure and computing, VPLS partners with businesses to solve their most complex technology challenges. Have a question about the article? Contact our team at [email protected].
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managed security services

VPLS Ranks No. 239 on Inc. Magazine’s List of California’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies

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VPLS Ranks No. 239 on Inc. Magazine’s List of California’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies

With multiple offices in California, VPLS is recognized as one of the fastest-growing companies in the region

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Inc. magazine today revealed that VPLS is No. 239 on its second annual Inc. 5000 Regionals: California list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing California-based private companies. Born of the annual Inc. 5000 franchise, this regional list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the California economy’s most dynamic segment—its independent small businesses.

“We’re honored to receive this recognition. Our organization is global, but we have strong roots in California. VPLS is proud of the partnerships and community that we’ve built, and we are dedicated to bringing our best-in-class customer service, robust portfolio of solutions, and extensive bench of technical experts to other businesses nationwide.”

John Minnix, President and COO of VPLS

The companies on this list show stunning rates of growth across all industries in California. Between 2017 and 2019, these 250 private companies had an average growth rate of 535 percent and, in 2019 alone, they employed more than 40,000 people and added nearly $7 billion to the California economy. Companies based in major metro areas—Los Angeles, the Bay Area, and San Diego—brought in the highest revenue overall.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000 Regionals: California, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, metro area, and other criteria, can be found on Inc’s Top 250 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in California list starting March 16, 2021.

“This list proves the power of companies in California no matter the industry,” says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. “The impressive revenues and growth rates prove the insight and diligence of CEOs and that these businesses are here to stay.”

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As a worldwide leader in internet infrastructure and computing, VPLS partners with businesses to solve their most complex technology challenges. Have a question about the article? Contact our team at [email protected].
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